By Kyle Feldscher, CNN
Saint-Denis, France (CNN) — An American is once again the world’s fastest man.
Noah Lyles earned that title and the gold medal in the men’s 100-meter dash by the slimmest of margins – just five-thousandths of a second – on Sunday night outside Paris, exploding down the track at the Stade de France and leaning in to cross the finish line ahead of favorite Kishane Thompson of Jamaica.
The victory ends a 20-year Olympic drought in the event for the USA, when Justin Gatlin won the 100-meter race in Athens. It also cements Lyles as the premier American superstar in this sport as the charismatic 27-year-old sprinter had already been one of the top faces of track and field with his blazing speed and viral moments.
Thompson, who was the betting favorite in the race, took the silver medal and American Fred Kerley took home the bronze.
It was a sterling version of the signature Olympic race. Taking place on the same night as the women’s high jump final and the men’s hammer throw final, along with qualifying heats in multiple other races, the showpiece event didn’t begin until all those other competitions were done for the day.
When the time came, the lights went out in the Stade de France just as the sun had nearly set. And then it lit back up as wristbands on the 80,000 spectators in the stadium began to flash, creating another one of the dazzling light shows that these Paris Olympics are becoming known for.
Drama and theater on show in Saint-Denis
Each competitor received an introduction, but Lyles took it like no other, bounding nearly halfway down the track to hype up the crowd and let off a little emotion. Lyles has gone viral in the past for such pre-race moves like pulling out Yu-Gi-Oh! cards before key races, but this time it was only his energy on display.
When all the competitors had entered the track, they stood waiting for what felt like an eternity as dramatic music played throughout the stadium.
Eventually, the music stopped and the competitors settled into the starting blocks. The stadium fell completely silent – tens of thousands and all one could hear was the wind – before the horn sounded. A mighty roar cut the tension as the sprinters hung together in a tight pack through the first 50 meters of the race.
There was some separation in the back half of the less-than-10-second contest – the first 100-meter Olympic final in which running a 10-second qualifying heat would not guarantee passage to the final race and the first where every competitor ran sub-10 seconds with a legal wind, according to World Athletics – but not nearly enough for it to be clear who won when the runners crossed the finish line.
The pack of panting sprinters gathered at the northeastern bend in the track, doubled over catching their breath while they stared up at the big screen, waiting for results. For a while, it only read “Photo,” indicating a photo finish.
And then the update came through: Lyles had done it.
He took off again, bounding around the track in ecstasy.
A race decided by fractions of a second
That photo finish makes it one of the most incredible and dramatic 100-meter races in Olympic history.
The final times – Lyles finishing in 9.784 seconds, Thompson in 9.789 – tell the story neatly. But it’s not the whole tale, given Lyles’ qualifying rounds over the last two days.
The American finished second in both the first round and the semifinal qualifiers, seeming to do just enough to get to the final race but being underwhelming enough for fans to wonder if all of Lyles’ bravado was going to be overmatched on this biggest of stages.
Lyles said afterward that he was convinced Thompson had beat him to the line.
“It was a crazy moment because, like I said, I did think that because Kishane had that and I was like, ‘Man, I really, you know, have to swallow my pride,’ which I don’t have a problem doing because respect deserves respect,” he said.
But when his name popped up on the board first, he knew he’d earned the right to celebrate a bit.
“I was like, I didn’t do this against a slow field. I did this against the best of the best on the biggest stage with the biggest pressure. And seeing the names, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, there it is.’”
Thompson, meanwhile, crushed the competition in each of his races, simply on cruise control until he reached the final. His nation’s long history of sprinting success and his own cool demeanor appeared to be enough wind at his back to get him across the finish line first.
Thompson put the defeat on himself, telling reporters that he didn’t trust himself enough.
“I really beat myself today in that I didn’t trust myself and my speed to bring myself to the line in first place,” he said, giving kudos to Lyles and the rest of the field for pushing him.
Lyles’ gold chase off on the right foot
The American champion is hoping Sunday night’s result is just the start of a historic Games – and he won’t have a lot of time to rest on his laurels.
Lyles’ signature race – this was his first time running the 100m at the Olympics – is the 200-meters and qualification for that distance begins on Monday morning.
He’s also aiming to add a pair of relay medals on his neck – the men’s 4×100-meter relay and possibly the 4×400-meter relay, if he’s chosen for the team.
Lyles’ confidence after the race for the rest of the Olympics is – not surprisingly – sky-high.
“I’ll just leave it there, I’ll be winning,” he said.
“None of them are winning,” he added of the 200-meter field. “When I come off the turn, they will be depressed.”
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